Re Paypal payment via Family & Friends

[Suumer98]

Hello,

I need some advice please I advertised on Gumtree for a Wanted item & received a reply from someone in Middlesborough.

They promised on receipt of £20.10 paid via family & friends to post out an item to me.

Very unusual for me had a zero balance so paid via Paypal from my bank account.

Payment says it has gone through but now no contact from the seller.

Feeling a little foolish as no messages now & wondering whether I will get my item or not?

My query is does my payment have to clear in their PayPal account or is it instant as there was a zero balance & payment was funded through the Bank account back up.

They insisted on family & friends so that is what I did.

Regards

Jenny

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@Suumer98 

A friends / family (or gift payment) is intended as a transfer of funds from family or friends to one another. For this reason, there is no processing fee when payment is made with bank or PayPal balance.
However as it is a gift payment, there is also no Buyer protection as no goods or services should have been exchanged.

If he was not a close mate or family member you should never use that option as it enables the seller to evade paying his paypal fees and negates your buyer protection at the same time.

You would also not be able to open a dispute apart from one citing an unauthorised transaction but that would be automatically closed as you did authorise the initial payment.

Be careful as using that option for purchasing goods is against Paypal rules and can lead to account limitation.

If you funded your paypal payment via a credit card then contact your card issuer and see if they will help you but unfortunately they may decline as well as it was a gift payment.